Comics, comics, comics

For almost 13 years I have stopped collecting comic books. When I was six year old, I was introduced to Spiderman through comic books, became acquainted with the X-Men through the X-Factor who during that time [late 80s], started another superhero group as the X-Men had a totally different line-up; some of which you guys are probably familiar with in the movies such as Storm, Wolverine and Nightcrawler.

Anyway, I stopped collecting for the simple reason that I just couldn’t afford it. When I entered college, I thought that I would have the money to save up and start collecting comics more regularly. Alas, money was not easy for me, and I had to work my butt off even in college just to get by. I survived UP by sheer guts and faith in the Almighty God; along with friends who were very supportive and helped me financially as well.

I thought that once I started working I would be able to seriously start collecting comics again. However, most fresh graduates of top universities here in the Philippines don’t really get high paying jobs once right after graduation. In short, I had to pay my dues, and one day; when you become a graduate yourself; you would understand what I am trying to share here. Anyway, in spite of my inability to buy comics; I continued to frequent the comic book shops almost on a weekly basis whenever I pass by the mall to do the grocery or meet up with a friend. And only recently did I realize that I have been doing this for more than a decade and I wasn’t buying any comic book.

And so, I finally decided to start a new collection. It just so happens that The Justice League of America came up with a new series, and so I am able to start with issues #0 and #1. It’s really amazing, because I realize that one of the reasons why I was able to manage my finances back in high school was when I was collecting comic books. The desire to save up money just to purchase new comic books drove me to fast, and even skip recess and bring my own food to school just so I could amass the necessary amount to purchase the comics that I like.

Perhaps that is why I want to collect comics again. It just gives me focus as well. Besides, it has been so long since I collected and I couldn’t deny that aspect of me anymore. I always thought that the part of me that loves to collect comic books has died already. Little did I know that it had the same combustive force within me, to rise like the dead.

Another reason I am happy about collecting comic books is that I am no longer after what is most popular at the moment; although it just so happens that the Justice League has managed to maintain their popularity for the past several years; that is still not the main reason. For I remember that I purchase comic books that were on sale, regardless if it happens to have an interesting story in it. And now? I am more discriminating in what I want to purchase. I purchase the ones that I really like now; for these graphic novels helps open my mind to the realm of imagination. And for an aspiring creative writer like me [ oh yes, I am still new at this, as I am more of a technical writer at the moment], this serves as a challenge and an inspiration.

Well, that is all for now. The fanatical teacher has bared his soul. I wonder how many of my fanatical students shares a similar interest? Only time would tell, or in this case, I do hope you manage to post a comment.

The Fanatical Teacher

On the National Museum and other requirements via email

I made it clear in class that you are only to send email at my gmail address, and not my yahoo address. The yahoo address is meant for yahoo messenging only. Alas, it seems that some of you just wanted to be sure. Alas, I do not work that way. It was a bit irritating that you filled up my inbox!!!!

Therefore, there is a 2 point deduction for not following instructions. This has always been part of my rules, remember? I hope this serves as another lesson in following directions. Good grief! My yahoo account couldn’t handle the flood of mail that poured in like hard rain!!! HELP! I’m drowning in email here! Please learn to follow instructions.

Fanatical Teacher

Blogging again and other announcements

Finally! I now have the time to write a blog entry again. But first, for a few announcements. To Section D, we don’t have class this coming Friday [September 1]; but we will have a make up class for that one. That goes for the class that has a scheduled make up for that day as I would be in a Nestle event.

Other than that, I am greatly satisfied with most of the reports that were presented in class. Although I did notice that in ALL the classes that I handled, you guys seem to like polvoron as one of the things that is part of the group dynamics. Hmm, I wonder why?

Anyway, this is all for now. Watch out for my blog on the novel Eleven Minutes, the movie My Ex-Supergirlfriend; or is it the other way around? Hmm, it seems that I am having lapses in my memory already.

Fanatical Teacher

Fanatical Teacher gets a surprise!!!

 

Today I had the best surprise that I had for this year. One of the classes that I handled this semester surprised me with a simple birthday greeting written on the white board and they also gave me a birthday cake with a short birthday greeting! Wow! That really made my day and sent me to cloud nine of which I am still lingering in while writing this entry. I even sent an SMS to one of my closest friends sharing it with my friends. Even our college dean was surprised to see it and said that my students love me.

 

Wow, that’s a compliment. In fact, I think it’s the best compliment I had recently. As an archivist and librarian, I have consistently kept a journal for almost 15 years now. And as I literally browse through the pages of my past, I could see that there has been times when I didn’t really enjoy my birthday. And this year, I didn’t celebrate it at all as I was drowning in work, with very little finances at this time and also almost all of my friends were too busy as well.

 

So when I came home near midnight, I just finished checking my email and then went to doze up into the arms of the Sandman. While in neverneverland, I was brutally spirited away by the alarm clock at 630am, mocking me that it is time to wake up and go to work. Good thing I wasn’t the one who will be doing most of the lecture today, but the students as they have their group reports. I will only guide them through the reports and enhance it with things that are important and that they missed out on.

 

Never in my mind did I think that my students would actually surprise me with a birthday cake! In my brief teaching career, it is the first time that I have experienced this. Perhaps the students who have thought about it grew up in a high school environment where they connected well with their teachers. I wish I could say that with my high school teachers. Although I remember them, it saddens me that I do not wish to share about high school at all.

 

So what now? Well, to the class that gave me the birthday cake — thank you. It is well appreciated. It is the first birthday cake and the ONLY one I have for this year. I do not know the reasons behind why you decided to give me one. If it is because you are afraid to fail the class, I do not know. And you know that I still base grades on performance and nothing to do with how nice you are to me. But simple gestures of grace like this just brings joy to the soul, like rain in parched land the gesture affirmed my existence as a fanatical teacher.

 

[and to those who are reading this and are thinking of giving me another cake, there's no need to anymore -- the best birthday present you can give to me is that you do your best in our class and that you pass English 1 with flying colors. So don't settle for a grade of 3.0, okay?]

 

Once more, thank you for the nice treat. When I see students act like this, I am comforted to know that the future of Philippine nurses is something that I can be proud of because my students are men and women of character, grace and love.

 

Goodbye to Canon!

Tonight I forgot to get my bag at the back of the taxi. Inside the bag was my Canon printer, the first printer I ever bought for myself five months ago. And though it only costs me 3,100 pesos, I feel bad because I worked hard just to save up to buy a printer. And now? Well, my finances won’t permit me the luxury to get a new one anytime soon.

I feel bad because I work hard for anything I get for. Be it just a second hand book, clothes bought at a mall during end of season sales; I always work hard for it. Although I admit that I also take a lot of things for granted, this is one time that I know that I feel really bad.

For people who aren’t rich like me, saving up for a laptop or even a personal printer is still a luxury. I still consider myself blessed; but the agony remains. Oh well. I just hope that I could have the finances to purchase a new printer at the end of the month, or if that’s not possible, then I am aiming for the early part of October.

Perhaps the main reason I feel sad is because most of the things that I have right now, I really worked hard to buy it on my own. I grew up resenting the fact that my parents played favorites. I graduated from UP without having a computer of my own and just leeching from my friends who were sometimes exasperated to help me out. And so, when I had the chance to buy my own computer, I grabbed that chance and really saved up for it. But my youngest sister, she just got a brand new desktop computer when she was in her thesis writing stage in graduate school. What was even worse was that that my parents supported her graduate studies all the way!

As for me, I had to fend off for myself, even for my knee operation five years ago. Oh yes, none of my family members were there during the time that I had my knee operation and the titanium implants became a family of my body. Only one sister of mine helped me out during that time. And now? I’m quite over it, I am merely sharing these things of how I hold on to what I have so dearly because that’s all I have. If a person has nothing emotional to hold on to, that person holds on to the material in order to relieve the pain of isolation.

And so, right now I still feel bad. But I will bounce back. I’ll be able to save up for a new printer and I am even targeting to get one by the end of the month. It would be a longshot, but I think the gambit would pay off anyway. Such is life. But another thing that I need to remember is, always take note of the things that you carry, fanatical teacher. With so many concerns rushing in my mind, I do know that there is a tendency to forget. But for now, I will learn from this lesson. A printer is still a printer. The good thing is that I haven’t lost my job yet as a teacher and as a freelance writer for two companies. For me, it’s better to lose a few material things because they can be easily replaced. A fractured soul is more difficult to heal, and so is an ego burned by losing a job. I thank God for such blessings. And I thank God that I will be turning 28 years old in a few days. But till then, I continue to ponder…………………

Fanatical Exercise

Last night, I was fighting my timidity to go to the gym. I felt extremely lethargic because last Sunday, I went on an eating binge with friends. First, I ate breakfast and lunch at home, and then in the early afternoon I met up with my friend Niki to just catch up with each other and share the latest gossip in our lives. I learned that her mother came to town, so for two weeks she had no choice [albeit willingly] but to devour the home made food of her mother, which includes braekfast and dinner. Normally, she only has bananas for dinner[ hmm, I wonder why there's this fixation with bananas?]. Ergo, she became bloated and went back to playing badminton when her beloved mother was spirited away to Iloilo.

Anyway, for those ladies out there who like to get a nice natural pedicure, troop to David’s Salon in Greenbelt 1. My friends Niks had her’s for only 120 pesos! Now that’s indeed a steal, considering that the average rate is about 250 to 500 pesos in most established salons.

Well, I went straight to our vesper service at church in UP Diliman, and what made me curious was the fact that there were a lot of people all over the campus! What was going on? Upon inquiry, I discovered that this weekend was the UPCAT, the college entrance exam for UP hopefuls. Funny, because when I took the test more than a decade ago; I was confident that I would get in because most of my sisters went to UP. And my youngest sister even finished her graduate studies in Environment Science [majoring in Remote Sensing -- something to do with geographic information systems]! But man, I wish I had my digital camera with me, to take snapshots of families camping outside each building where their sons and daugthers are taking the test. Mind you, what was kind of sad was the fact that most of those who are taking the exams in UP are really those who come from the middle class of Philippine society.

Anyway, only about 10 to 15% of those taking the test will pass. With that in mind, I realized that I am grateful for having a UP education. Like it or not, UP’s the most difficult university to get into, in terms of entrance exams for universities here in our country. Although the university has fallen away from the ranks of the top universities in Asia, a closer look at the standards used to gauge it is because of the lack of infrastructure for research and technology. Only in recent years has the university had wireless internet, and I am so proud that we have it since most universities in Metro Manila who boast of air conditioned rooms and the latest technology couldn’t even afford to set-up a wireless network in their campus.  But kidding aside, the best thing I miss about UP is the fact that in each class, there is only 25 students at most. Although there are some classrooms that have more students, but for the major subjects, they don’t take in more than a teacher could handle.

That’s one of the challenges that this fanatical teacher continually struggles with. How does a teacher connect with so many students? I am currently handling 250 students in six sections. Frankly, it is a challenge to remember all their names, much more their style of writing and the things that they say in class. Thank God for modern technology where I could easily record their papers and stsuff. Otherwise, I would be drowning in a sea of cacophony words, sentences and paragraphs that usually entangle me and just sinks me further down. My only relief comes from seeing a ladder of logically and creatively constructed essays, which serve as an inspiration for me to move towards the light, for only when there is light could one see what one is doing and things become clearer[literally].

And so, what am I talking about here abpout fanatical exercise? Well, I finished a 1 hour and 45 minutes cardio workout on the treadmill, not to mention an hour of lifting weights and a little stretching with the group exercise. My main motivation was the fact that I felt bloated last Sunday, because I ate pizza with Niki, and arguably, I also ate pasta and pizza again during the evening with another set of friends. But then again, getting rid of all that fat and extra carbs would take more than just one meeting. So I guess I’ll take it a day at a time, much like learning one word at a time…. so is the pen really mightier than the sword? I ponder…………….

Prelims Blitz

I’ve finished checking the papers of Sections A, B, D and E today. The highest grade so far in all the papers is 45 out of 50 points. And the highest accumulated number of points is 160 points so far and the lowest is just above 90 points. As I mentioned in my classes, you are all to look into this webpage for announcement and other related materials that we have discussed in class. As soon as I have finished discussing a lesson in most classes, I would be immediately posting it here. There would be times that I would be posting them earlier.

At the moment, I am currently finishing checking the papers of Section F. And on monday afternoon, I hope that I would have been done with Section C. In general, most of you did okay in the exam, but stilll it could have been better.

What realization have you learned out of this prelim exam? For me, I realized that some of my students don’t make notes at all. Why do I say this? First of all, there are papers that have scores that are even lower than the average age of my students [less than 17 points, as 17 is the average age of the freshmen at the college of nursing]. This is terrible! Because it either means that my students find my class boring, or that the class isn’t stimulating enough to warrant further notice or time.

I also realized from the results of the examinations that there are some students who have difficulty in understanding figures of speech. Real education isn’t spoonfed to students. Real education should cause students to think critically and make them want to own the issues and problems. I feel sad that most of you who are taking up this subject only wish to breeze through it, without really understanding the repercussions of this subject to your life as a whole. Anyway, I am formally announcing here that most of you could still make till the end of the semester, provided that you will continue on giving excellent work in class. Anyway, that’s all for now. On monday afternoon, I will be going to UP for figure out what play we are going to watch. I do hope that there is an available Shakespearean play being done at UP Diliman. I also hope that there are tickets that are still being sold so that we could watch it as a class.

In addition, I do hope that this prelims exam made you realize that you just don’t rely on your notes, but that you need to study on your own and adding your knowledge by using the different reference books that I presented during the start of the semester. They were presented in class for a reason. Just because I do not have one single textbook that acts as the main reference for our class doesn’t mean that I do not use them. May this also be a lesson in looking into other books, and reading other books to prepare for the exam.

Speaking of exams, I will have a separate entry here on other aspects of the exam once all the classes have taken the test.

Yours truly,

Fanatical Teacher

Schedule of make-up classes

These are the following schedule for the different sections. Please take note that I have also posted the things that would be tackled during that day. Furthermore, all make-up classes will be at Room 3 at the new building:

1. August 11 [Friday] - 130-430pm Section B: The Reading Process
2. August 14 [Monday] – 130-430pm Section A: The Reading Process
3. August 21 [M] - 130-430pm Section C: The Reading Process
4. August 25 [F] - 130-430pm Section E: Reports 3 and 4
5. August 28 [M] - 130-430pm Section F: The Paragraph
6. September 1 [F] - 130-430pm Section C: Midterm exams
7. September 4 [M] - 130-430pm Section E Midterm exams